An arc flash occurs during an arc fault, a type of electrical fault resulting from an insulation breakdown or an unintended low impedance connection to ground or to another voltage phase in an electrical system.
In order to limit damage caused by an arc fault, rapidly detecting an arc flash is useful so that protective measures may be taken for equipment experiencing an arc fault. Modern arc fault protection equipment may be deployed for mitigation of arc faults in motor control centers, transformer systems, power converters, wind turbines electrical switchboards, and the like.
By detecting the light from an arc flash, an arc fault protection apparatus may be used to rapidly terminate an arc fault condition. For example, an arc fault sensor may be arranged to detect an arc flash in equipment powered by a given electrical line, and may be arranged to send signals to trip a circuit breaker or other device to interrupt power on the electrical line.
Known arc flash detectors may include a sensor to sense light emitted from an arc flash. In order to ensure proper operation, an arc fault protection apparatus may be configured to send a signal to an apparatus, such as a circuit breaker, when a threshold amount of light radiation is detected by a sensor. During use, the sensor may be exposed to ambient conditions causing dirt, dust, or other material to accumulate on the sensor. This accumulation may result in the attenuation of light incident on the sensor, resulting in failure to detect an arc flash incident.
It is with respect to the above the present disclosure is provided.